Watching the Mountain

Chapter 225: Chapter 154: Leaving the Mountain

”You know full well the kind of person I am, and you know my Dao. Yet you still came to ask for my opinion. In that case, isn’t the choice already obvious?”

”Your heart has already made its choice.”

Qing Xuan True Monarch stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on Xu Ran as he spoke calmly.

Xu Ran didn’t deny it. After a moment of silence, he said hesitantly,

”But Teacher, you know well that I... I’m rather afraid of death.”

Qing Xuan True Monarch nodded slightly. Instead of chastising him, he asked with a calm expression,

”If that’s the case, then why are you still making this choice? Or rather, what changed you?”

After hearing Xu Ran’s story about Jiang Ling’Er, he had already deduced that his student had decided to rescue his disciple.

Coming to ask for his master’s advice was, in reality, just for his own peace of mind.

Qing Xuan True Monarch knew his student Xu Ran well. Just as Xu Ran himself had said, he was indeed terrified of death.

In the centuries since joining the Sect, he had only left its gates on two occasions. The first was when the disciples of Spirit Stream Peak fought and died to obtain Concentration Liquid for him. The second was when he led a team to participate in the inter-sect tournament.

The inter-sect tournament had been completely safe, and the other occasion was merely a trip around the immediate vicinity of the Sect.

Other than that, he had always remained within the Sect.

Even within the Sect, he was always meticulously cautious, deliberately keeping a low profile. He would even hide his identity after making achievements that could have been recorded in the annals of history. One could only imagine how determined he was to lay low.

Qing Xuan True Monarch sometimes found himself wondering, ’How can a person cherish their life to such an extent? I truly cannot understand it.’

But now, Xu Ran was preparing to rescue his disciple, Jiang Ling’Er. This wasn’t simply a matter of leaving the Sect gates; he was planning to leave the Cultivation Realm and head into the territory of the Demon Race.

The contrast was so stark that he couldn’t help but be curious about what was driving Xu Ran to make such a decision.

’If it were merely the bond between master and disciple, I feel that wouldn’t be enough. There must be another reason.’

After hearing Qing Xuan True Monarch’s question, Xu Ran fell silent for a moment before replying,

”It’s actually related to Xiyue and the others, I suppose.”

He sighed, his voice laced with complex emotions.

”Teacher, I’ve always believed that one should respect others and not interfere in their lives and choices, especially those who are close to you.”

”Because of that close relationship, my every word and deed could become a burden to their growth, an obstacle that might influence their decisions. So, my attitude has always been to let them be. I tried to give them the greatest possible freedom so they could make choices that truly followed their hearts, without any reservations.”

”However, the outcome has shown me that even if you do nothing, as long as that close relationship and emotional bond exists, the other person will still lean your way when making their choices.”

A flicker of light crossed Xu Ran’s eyes. This was a realization he’d had after Little Xiyue left him.

He had thought that giving Little Xiyue complete freedom was the highest form of respect, but in the end, she had still left.

She did it behind his back, without so much as a word of farewell.

Because she, too, thought it was the right thing to do—that she was protecting him.

And then there was Ye Shu. If he hadn’t insisted that one last time, Ye Shu might have simply withered away in silence. How could he have faced Ye Shan and the Little Witch then?

They had both entrusted Ye Shu to his care.

All this time, they had been doing what they believed was right, and he had chosen to respect their decisions and let them be.

’If only my stance had been firmer, if I hadn’t given them so much freedom, perhaps the outcome would have been different.’

Especially Little Xiyue. If not for Ye Shan’s contingency plan, she would have been gone for good. That was what she herself had believed would happen; she had even made arrangements for Xu Ran, her master, in her absence.

After listening to Xu Ran, Qing Xuan True Monarch remarked with a deep sigh, ”A very profound realization.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, ”But what does this have to do with the choice you’re making now? I have yet to hear what prompted this change in your fear of death.”

Xu Ran nodded. ”Teacher, what I mean to say is that, in the past, it was always them who stubbornly insisted on the choices they believed were right.”

”This time, it’s my turn to insist on the choice that I believe is right.”

He lowered his head slightly as he spoke.

”I truly can’t bear to watch a student, so naive she’s almost foolish, lose her faith in the world.”

”Her world should be a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors, not just shades of gray.”

Qing Xuan True Monarch was taken aback for a moment. His gaze rested on Xu Ran for a long time. Then, he let out a soft laugh and nodded in approval.

”In the centuries since you joined the Sect, you have made many achievements that could change the world and go down in history. But... this is the first time I’ve ever been truly proud of you.”

Xu Ran was taken aback. Then he smiled and asked, ”Teacher, are you praising me?”

Qing Xuan True Monarch nodded affirmatively, giving him an encouraging look as he said slowly,

”Go. Follow your heart. I will await your return.”

Then he added with concern, ”One month. Are you confident?”

Xu Ran raised his hands and bowed slightly to Qing Xuan True Monarch, then replied with a faint smile,

”Teacher, you know me. Do you really think someone like me would go without an ace up his sleeve?”

Qing Xuan True Monarch gave him a startled look. After a moment, he simply nodded, saying nothing more.

*

*

*

After leaving Qing Xuan True Monarch, Xu Ran wasted no time and immediately set his plan in motion.

He first went to the Sect Treasure Vault to redeem a large quantity of Array Materials. Then, he took out his Honorary Elder token and activated the Teleportation Array.

Xu Ran’s talent with arrays was average. Even now, he was only a Tier Three Array Master, still a fine line away from becoming a Tier Four Array Master.

However, with the aid of the Sparrow Transformation Array Map left behind by Little Xiyue, he could deploy arrays up to the level of his own Cultivation Realm.

He was currently at the Purple Mansion Stage, so the highest he could deploy was a Tier Six Array.

The Huaque Array was created by Little Xiyue based on an inspiration he had given her. This meant he understood its core principles clearly.

It was similar to a local area network.

Little Xiyue had previously left many arrays scattered across the Five Domains. Some had been destroyed, but others still remained.

Of course, he was going to rescue someone, not sacrifice everything he had like Little Xiyue.

According to the Sparrow Transformation Array Map, at his current Cultivation Realm, he could withstand the Earth Vein Qi of a single county. This would allow him to maintain the cultivation of a Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch for fifteen to thirty minutes.

The price was ten years of weakness.

’Just ten years? For a Longevity Seeker like me, what’s the difference between that and getting it for free?’

He didn’t need to lay down too many arrays. He just had to repair and activate some of the ones Little Xiyue had left behind, then set up a linking array on himself to channel the Earth Vein Qi from an entire county.

This took him ten days to complete.

Jiang Xiaohui had given him one month, but Xu Ran disliked cutting things close and showing up at the last second. He had always preferred to be well-prepared in advance.

He set a deadline for himself: arrive in the territory of the Demon Race within fifteen days and reach the coordinates Jiang Xiaohui had sent.

After setting up the arrays, Xu Ran returned to the Scripture Pavilion. This was, after all, the first time he had ever made such an impulsive decision. He felt he should go back and take a moment to process his feelings.

But when he arrived at the Scripture Pavilion, he happened to see a familiar figure sitting there, engrossed in a medical book left behind by Hao Miaomiao.

Seeing Chen Minghe brought a wave of emotion over Xu Ran. This was the same man who had led their team during the inter-sect tournament, the one who had later encouraged him to falsify the number of Foundation Establishment Pills at Spirit Stream Peak’s Internal Affairs Hall.

Later, he had taken the initiative to confess his transgression to Teacher Qing Xuan and was punished to preach in the Chores Courtyard for thirty years without pay.

Back then, Chen Minghe hadn’t had much of his lifespan left. During his time in the Chores Courtyard, however, he had broken through to the Core Formation Stage, albeit through the path of the Flying Immortal Stream.

He vaguely recalled how, after accepting Teacher Qing Xuan’s punishment, Chen Minghe had smiled and called out, ”Junior Brother Xu.”

It was precisely his appearance that prompted Teacher Qing Xuan to have an epiphany and find his own path.

”Senior Brother Chen, are you interested in medicine?”

Hearing Xu Ran’s voice, Chen Minghe jumped as if startled. He hurriedly closed the medical book, scratched his head, and replied with an embarrassed laugh,

”N-no, I was just, uh, browsing.”

Xu Ran gave him a thoughtful look, having likely guessed what was on his mind.

Chen Minghe used to be a wily old hand, content to just coast by on seniority. Although he later took the initiative to change his ways, deep down, he still didn’t think of himself as a good person.

’Perhaps, in his heart, he feels that someone like him isn’t worthy of Hao Miaomiao’s medical books.’

”On the contrary, Senior Brother Chen, I think you have the perfect bearing to be a great physician, practicing medicine to help the world.”

Hearing Xu Ran’s words, Chen Minghe froze, staring at him in disbelief. After a long moment, he finally stammered,

”Junior Brother Xu, you must be joking. Someone like me... how could I ever be worthy of a phrase like ’practicing medicine to help the world’?”

Xu Ran chuckled. ”Senior Brother Chen, there’s no need to be so self-deprecating. I truly mean it. I think you have the makings of a fine doctor.”

He added with a meaningful smile, ”If it’s something you like, you should just go for it. You’ll never know if you can succeed until you try.”

Chen Minghe stood rooted to the spot, a flicker in his eyes as he was lost in thought.

Seeing his reaction, Xu Ran didn’t linger any longer and quietly took his leave.

He felt a surge of emotion. ’Even a wily old hand like Chen Minghe has managed to change. What reason do I have to remain stagnant?’

He found Ye Shu and said slowly, ”Let me borrow your sword.”

Without a moment’s hesitation or a single question, Ye Shu drew his sword and handed it over.

”Uncle Xu, here you are.”

Xu Ran stared at the longsword in his hand for a long moment before silently sheathing it.

This was Ye Shan’s sword. It gave him the confidence he needed.